So, I figured, I'd start my first review of Minot AFB, the base we've been at for almost 2 years. I think that is plenty of time to gather a decent opinion of a place. Now, I will give my personal opinion, plus plenty of unbiased facts and things to do, because just because one person doesn't mean the next person will feel the same. Okay, so on to the topic.
Minot AFB. Aug 2006 - Present
When we first got here, coming form Detroit, Michigan, I was scared. This seemed like a very small town, but once we hit the city limits, (where Super Wal-Mart just opened) it seemed pretty nice. People here are so nice, and while the town may not be large, there are a lot of things like a large mall, nice restaurants, and a great downtown shopping district that make this town have a lot of charm. Driving North through town to get to base, you go to "North Hill," which is a large hill at the north end of town (creative, huh?) which has the airport and a pretty cool bowling alley, The Lucky Strike.
Base is a good size. They have recently started construction on a new BX and Mini Mall/gas station, since the existing ones are pretty old. The commissary is nice, with a bakery, deli, and newly installed self-checkout lanes. As for food, definitely check out JR Rockers. Great bar and grill-type place with fun theme nights and parties. Also, Rough Riders Pizza is good, and another wife, Allie, says the honey BBQ wings are awesome! :) Of course, you have your base Burger King and the food court at the current BX with Robin Hood Subs, Taco Bell, Anthony's Pizza, and a chicken strip place that never seems to be open.
The community center is a great meeting place. They have a pay area for kids called "Darby Land" with a big play scape to climb on. The Youth Center is fairly new, located in the housing area. It has a big gym, video game areas, pets to take care of, and many other activities such as dance lessons, sports, and play groups.
The bowling alley, golf course, and library are pretty standard, with little touches to make it fit with the base. The Fitness Center is great. They have an indoor swimming pool open in the winter, and a huge gym with an elevated running track. They also have many rooms with different exercise machines. the treadmills and bikes have televisions with cable attached to them where you can bring your headphones and watch your favorite shows while burning calories.
Now the important part - Housing. With the brand new and newer housing, this base is definitely up to par with housing. We live in a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath home with a two car garage and we love it! I haven't heard a complaint about housing since we've been there. The wait list seems to move pretty fast, which is a good thing. The picture above is of our street. We love it. More pics to come!!!
So, that's it for now. My next post will be more of Minot AFB happenings, so stay tuned!! :)
3 comments:
Hi! Thanks for posting that, it almost gives me a sigh of relief. How long did you all have to wait for base housing?
Thanks so much I was looking on google for a place called Darbyland to take my son and it brought up your blog! Thanks for the infor on this area!! We've been here since Oct '09 and got into base housing in March '10 so we are still trying to get used to the lay out and the weather!
Hi, I'm pcsing there in dec, (short notice orders) what's the housing like? We are thinking of just going into old housing unless the wait list isn't very long.
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